Knowing which campaign type to use helps you reach the right prospects with the right message and get more connection requests accepted. Trigger-based campaigns are for a wider strategy; custom campaigns are built for specific moments.

Trigger-based campaigns are Spear's primary outreach strategy. Instead of sending the same message to everyone, each connection request is personalized based on a real signal Spear detected about that prospect, making outreach timely and relevant.

Best for: ongoing outbound campaigns targeting prospects as they show buying intent or relevant activity.
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Event campaigns: trigger-based messages are also available when you target attendees. Each attendee source appears separately, for example "attendees (linkedin)", and has its own connection request message. See How to set up an Event Campaign.
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Custom campaigns send a fixed connection request message to all prospects in the list. There is no signal-based personalization; every prospect receives the same message. This makes them ideal for short, time-bound outreach tied to a specific event or context.
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How it works:

Best for: event-based outreach where the message is the same for every prospect (e.g. "We'll be at SaaStr next week, let's connect").

When to use each:

You want ongoing outreach with personalized messages tied to real signals. This is Spear's default and recommended approach for most campaigns, including event campaigns that target attendees.

You have a specific event, webinar, or conference and want to invite a defined list of prospects with a single consistent message.
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Not sure which to use? Start with a trigger-based campaign. Custom campaigns are purpose-built for time-sensitive events and are usually the exception, not the rule.